There is No Rose Without a Thorn - Tips For Teachers to Improve Their Performance

Teaching, as we know, is a noble profession which requires a lot of dedication, patience, and creativity. Inasmuch as teaching is a developing art, and learning is a life-long process, teachers need to strive and toil in order to improve their performance. Additionally, they are obligated to devise new ways so as to remarkably perform their duties and leave a lasting impression on their students. In fact, what sets a teacher apart from others is his perseverance and determination to excel and surpass his colleagues. The role of teachers, in any society, cannot be underestimated; their contributions to the advance of our life are indispensable. Although teaching is substantially demanding, it is no doubt much more rewarding.

It is worth mentioning that education has undergone drastic changes over the past few decades. New approaches and techniques have been discovered and employed in this respect. Likewise, others have been attacked and rejected. As such, teachers need to be innovative to meet these challenges. Being a teacher does not mean the end of a long journey; it is only the beginning. It is an ongoing development. Most accomplished teachers did not become well- known over night; they sweated and struggled for many years. They have even made a lot of sacrifices to deserve this recognition. Teachers need to bear in mind that no one is above knowledge; there is always so much to learn.

In the light of the aforementioned reasons, teachers need to update their knowledge as often as possible to keep pace with the changes taking place in their major. In this article, I would like to propose and suggest some vital approaches for my fellow teachers to adopt. Firstly, teachers are expected to prepare their lesson well in advance so that they can be well prepared for any question they might be asked, otherwise students can give them hard times. They should spend more time knowing their materials using any beneficial sources such as books, dictionaries and the like. They need to make notes of the most important points to be used later on. Secondly, they should not hesitate to ask their senior colleagues any awkward questions they might encounter. They should not be ashamed of it, since the ultimate goal is to learn. Thirdly, teachers should make good use of the internet to locate any information needed. You will be surprised how fast and beneficial this source is; you can find any topic. All you have to do is to write key words and let the computer do the job. Even teachers of literature can find poems recorded by native speakers.

To conclude, teachers are invited to make use of any sources available. Good teachers are always learning as it is becoming more challenging and difficult to compete. All they have to do is to allocate some time to study, though it is tiring, but our dear students are worthy of our sacrifices and endeavors. So let us get started for it is never too late. And as they say, practice makes perfect.

By Mohammed Alfadhel
M.A. in English Literature
Alandalus University
mafnaz@yahoo.com